Tumbler for bucket elevators.



PATENTED MAY 22, 1906.

LH. GRAY. TUMBLER FOR BUCKET ELEVATORS.

APPLICATION FILED MARHZZ. 1905.

rmrrEnsrArEs PATENT oEEioE.

JAMES H. GRAY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

TUNIBLER FOR BUCKET ELEVATORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 22, 1906.

Application tiled March 22, 1905. Serial No. 251,529.

lbeing to provide means whereby the parts principally exposed to wear can be readily removed and replaced by new parts with small loss of material.

In general practice heretofore each tumbler-head has been made of one piece and fastened directly to the tumble shaft, and as the polygonal faces and guiding-flanges at the sides are worn rapidly by abrasion the tumbler-heads often have to be discarded before the shaft-bearings are worn out. It is very difficult and occasions much loss of time to remove the heads and to substitute-new ones, besides causing a great loss of material.

This invention provides a means by which that portion of the tumbler which becomes worn can be quickly and easily removed without loss of time or material.

In the accompanying` drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of one form of my irnproved tumbler. Fig. 2 is an end view thereof. Fig. 3 is a cross-section. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing one tumbler-head removed. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a bolt for securing the tumbler-heads to the hub. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of a modification.

Referring to the drawings, in the form of the device shown in Fig. 1, 4 indicates a main body or casting, preferably of steel, with an enlarged central hub having conical or tapering ends 5, on which the polygonal tumblerheads 6 are fitted and secured, and having reduced bearings or trunnions 19 extending at the ends. To reduce the weight, this casting can be made hollow by means of a core which can be supported in the process of casting at the openings 141 and by the openings through the bearings. The openings in the ends of the bearings may be closed by plugs 18, so as to form as large a thrust-bearing surface as possible.

Upon the tapering ends 5 of the hub 4 are fitted the polygonal tumbler-heads 6, having flanges 7 and secured by bolts 8 being passed through holes in said heads, the heads of said bolts having cross-pins 9, which extend into lateral extensions 10 from recesses for the bolt-heads 11, thereby preventing the bolts turning when the nuts 12 are screwed onto the other ends thereof. After said nuts have been screwed on, the bolts may be heated to expand them, and then the nuts can be screwed on farther. The shrinkage in cooling will draw the tumbler-heads onto the hub, and this process `may be repeated, if necessary, until the heads are secured very tightly to the hub. In this construction it can be seen that the tumbler-heads can when worn out be easily removed, owing to the taper of the surfaces on the hub to which they are tted.

The middle portion of the hub is formed with ribs 16 extending radially outward between the opposing ends of the heads and forming grooves 13 to receive the bolts, and thus protect the bolts from being bent or injured. Keys 15 in coregistering keyways in the hub and heads prevent the heads turning on the hub. These keyways are formed near a bolt-hole in the head and always at the same side thereof as viewed from the outer face of the tumbler-head, so that either tumbler-head may be applied to either end of the hub interchangeably. For a similar reason the recesses 10 in the tumbler-heads for the bolt-heads are formed in both tumbler-heads even though only the nuts enter said recesses in one of the tumbler-heads.

If desirable, the bearings of the shafts 19 may have sleeves 2 shrunk on them to take the wear, and these can be replaced at any time. In case the shaft-bearings 19 should be broken or worn down so much as to be useless they` can be cut off, the interior of the body of the hub bored to fit, and a new shaft 1 driven in, giving the construction shown in Fig. 6, in which the ends of the shaft form in like manner as in the construction of Fig. 1 bearings or trunnions of less diameter than the main body. With a view to such renewal the inwardly-extending ilanges 17 are proyided to form supporting-surfaces for the sha t.

,It will be seen that with this construction a great saving is effected in the use of the ICO bearings or trunnions of smaller diameter,

polygonal heads around said main body at its ends, having outwardly-extending flanges at their outer sides, and means for removably securing said heads on said body, substantially as described.

r2. A tumbler for bucket elevators comprising a main body provided at its ends with bearings or trunnions of smallerdiameter, polygonal heads around said main body at its ends, having outwardly-extending flanges at their outer sides, and bolts for removably securing said heads on said body, substantially as described.

3. A tumbler for bucket elevators comprising a main body provided atits ends with bearings or trunnions of smaller diameter, polygonal heads around said main body at its ends, having outwardly-'extending flanges at their outer sides, and bolts extending parallel with the main body, and securing the heads together, substantially as described.

4. A tumbler for bucket elevators comprising a main body having tapering ends and provided at its ends with bearings or trunnions of smaller diameter, polygonal heads around said main body at its ends, having outwardly-extending flanges at their outer sides and bolts extending parallel with the main body, and

securing the heads together,

substantially .as described.

5. A tumbler for bucket elevators comprising a main body having tapering ends, removable heads on said tapering ends, having outwardly-extending flanges, the middle portion of the main body being formed with ribs extending radially between the opposing ends of the heads, and bolts connecting the heads and lyin between the ribs, substantially as describe 6,. A tumbler for bucket elevators, comprising a shaft, a main body removably secured thereon, the shaft ext ending through the body at both ends, polygonal heads removably lsecured on the ends of said body and having outwardly-extending ilanges, and means for retaining said heads thereon, substantially as described.

In witness whereoi1 I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANCIS M. WRIGHT, Bessin GoRFiNKEL. 

